Warp-tension-controlling mechanism for looms



H. w. .YOUNGQUIST. I WARP TENSION CONTROLUNG MECHANISM FOR Looms.APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1920.

1,391,928. PatentedSept. 27,1921..

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

\nvnTor. I Henry W.vYoungq uisT H. W. YOUNGQUIST.

WARP TENSION CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR LOO MS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. B. 1920.

1,391,928, PatentedSept. 27,1921.

I Fig.2.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 7 In Fig.3.

L IIIIIIIIIII InvenTor. Henry W.Youngq;uisT M WIIW Aflys.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. YOUNGQUIST, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPERCORPORATION;

MAINE.

OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Sept. 27, 1921- Application filed September 8, 1920.Serial Noi 409,000.

T 0 all to 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY lV. YOUNG-QUIST, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Manchester,county of Hillsborough, State of New Hampshire, have invented anImprovement in Warp-Tension- Controlling Mechanism for Looms, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing,is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing likeparts.

This invention relates to improvements in warp tension controllingmechanism for looms, and the general object of the inven tion is toprovide a mechanism which will let off the warp more uniformly than isaccomplished in devices heretofore employed.

In the usual types of let off mechanisms the rotation of thewarp beam iscontrolled by a frictional mechanism or by a pawl and ratchet mechanismwhich maintains a relatively heavy tension upon the warp at all timesand the rotationof the beam is inter mittent and more or less jerky.

By the present invention a relatively light tension is normally appliedto the warps, preferably through a braking mechanism operating upon thewarp beam, and the tensionmechanism is locked at a predeterminedposition of the lay in its beat-up movements, p'referablyjust before thereed. engages the fell of the cloth so that the prevent the breakage ofwarps when the shuttle becomes misplaced, as by rebounding into the shedduring theoperation of.

the loom. In the present invention the tension which is imposed uponthewarp may be so light that if a shuttle should rebound into the shedthe warp beam would be rotated sufiiciently as the shuttle is forcedforward by the lay to prevent the breakage of the-warp before thetensionmechanism is finally locked at the end of the beat-up of the lay. j

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel brakingmechanism for warp beams of looms which is, operable to maintam-apredetermined tension upon the warp and at a predetermined position ofthe'lav in itsbeat-up which will be'actuated to lock the warp beamagainst rotation.

A further object of the invention is to provide braking mechanism forthe warp beam of the loom of the character described with means forvaryingthe amount of tension normally imposed upon the warps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brakefor the warp beamof the loom which can be readily released to enable the warp beam to beremoved and replaced with out varying the adjustment of the brakingmechanism.

Further objects and features of the inventionwill more fully appear-fromthe following description and accompanying drawing and will be pointedout in the annexed claims A preferred embodiment of the inventionisillustrated in the accompanying drawing as applied to the well knownNorthrop type of loom.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of 'a sufiicient portion of ausual type of loom as is necessary to illustrate the invention embodiedtherein as applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevatlon of a portion of a loom frame showing one endof the warp. beam wlth the braking mechanism embodying my inventionapplied thereto.

Fig. 3 is. a detail plan view of the lever mechanism for operating thewarp beam brake. Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of a portion of apreferred form of brake constructedin detachable sections. 7

Fig. 5 is. a plan view of the brake illustrated inFig. 4 showing apreferred fornr of interlocking detachable members.

The present invention is illustrated herein as applied toausualtype ofloom 'which comprises the usual side frames 1, breast beam 2 and lay 3,which is supported upon swords l which are secured to a rock shaft 5mounted 1n..su1t'able bearings 1n the loom sides. The loomsides are alsoconnected by the usual cross girder 6. The loom may and does comprisethe other usual mechanisms which, being well known and formmg no part ofthe present invention need not be illustrated herein.

The usual warp beam 7 is mounted upon a shaft 8 which is journaled insuitable open bearings 9 in the loom sides. The warp beam is providedwith a brake drum 10 which may be acted upon by any suitable type ofbraking mechanism which will perform the function of locking the beamagainst rotation when the lay'reaches a pre determined position in itsbeat-up.

In the preferred construction illustrated the brake comprises sections11 and 12 preferably made of flexible metal such as steel, which haveattached to their ends respectively L-shaped locking members 13 and 14so constructed that the laterally extending portion 15 of one willengage the laterally extending portion 16 of the other. Thecooperatingengaging faces of the extensions 15 and 16 are inclined insuch a manner as to provide, in effect, hooks whichinterlock with eachother.

A brake shoe 17 which is secured at one end to one of the said sectionsunderlies the brake strap sections 11 and 12 and engages the surface ofthe drum.

When the warp beam is to be removed the tension upon the brake isreleased as will hereinafter be more fully described, and

the interlocking members 13 and 1 1 disen gaged, so that the sections 11and 12 may be separated and the warp beam lifted from its bearings. Uponthe introduction of a new warp beam, the brake sections may be againapplied by merely interlocking the detachable members 13 and ll and thenormal tension restored without modifying the adjustment of the tensionapplying means.

Any suitable means may be provided for actuating the brake band tocontrol the rotation of the warp beam to effect the purpose hereindescribed. In the construction illustrated herein one end of the section11 of the brake band is rigidly secured to an extension 18 of a bracket19 which is secured to the loom side. The free end of section 12 of thebrake is provided with a clamp 20 which is connected by a hook shapedlink 21 to a brake actuating lever which is operated by suitablyactuating means and moving in consonance with the movement of the layand which serves to clamp the brake upon the brake. drum with sufiicientforce to lock the warp beam against rotation when the lay has reached apredetermined position in its beat-up preferably when the reed is almostin engagement with the fell of theweb of the cloth being. woven.

"The preferred form of brake lever is con- .structed in two sectionswhich are yieldably connected together in order to prevent the shock ofthe actuating mechanism from fracturing the lever. As illustrated, thebrake lever comprises a main section 22 hav ing hook shaped end whichengages the link 21 and which is pivoted upon a stud 23 projecting fromthe bracket 19, and a supplemental section 24: which also is pivotedupon the stud 23 and is provided with a downward extension 25 to whichthe actuating mechanism is connected.

The brake lever sections 22 and 24c desirably are provided avithlaterally extending bosses 26 and 27 having respectively seats for aheavy spring 28 through which motion is imparted from the supplementalsection 24 to the main section 22. This spring is of sufiicient strengthto transmitthe force applied to the supplemental section to the mainsection to properly actuate the brake, but is adaptedto yield enough toprevent breakage caused by any unusual movement of the supplementalsection. It also serves as a cushion to reduce the likelihood ofcrystallization of the parts due to repeated shocks.

Any suitable means may be providedfor actuating the supplemental sectionof the brake lever. As illustrated, the depending end 25 of saidsupplemental section is connected to one end of link 29. the other endof which is'adjustably secured by a set screw 30 in'a sleeve 31 which ispivotally connected with the upper end of an arm 32, the lower end ofwhich is pivotally mounted upon a stud 33 upon an arm or extension 34:of the rock shaft 5 which carries the swords which support the'lay.

The arm 32 is provided with a lateral extension 35, which lies in thepath of one of the swordsof the lay so that the latter engages the sameduring the beat-up movement of the lay, thereby actuating the arm 32through the link 29, transmitting its movement to the arm 25 of thesupplemen tal section of the brake lever. The movement of thesupplemental section in turn actuates the main section 22 of the brakelever and causes the same to apply the brake to the brake drum withsufiicient force to lock the warp beam against rotation.

It may be noted that the arm 32 of the rock shaft 5 oscillates with thesword and that the armr'32 is movable relatively to the sword. By reasonof this construction. and the adjustable connection between the arm 32and the link 25 the action of the brake can'be so adjusted that thebrake will be applied just before the reed engages the fell of thecloth.

Thus a normal, uniform lighttension may be maintained upon the warps atall times and, the tension mechanism looked after the shuttle has beenthrown across-the lay and just before the lay beats up the filling.

By this lockingthe' tension mechanism for the warp threads just beforethe beat up takes place, a very light normal tension'may sufliciently toprevent breakage of the warp.

Furthermore, by thus providing means for releasing the normal lighttension on the warp, the warp beam can be readily rotated by theoperator when it is necessary to change the warp or to pick outimperfectly woven filling.

Any suitable means may be provided for maintaining this light normaltension upon the warp. 'A convenient means which is illustrated herein,comprises a stop which is in the form of an arm 36 pivotally secured toa bracket 37 upon the cross girder 6, the stop 36 being in a position toengage the depending end 25 of the lever 24: at such a point as tomaintain a predetermined tension upon the brake. This stop 36- may beadjustably held in proper position by any suitable means As illustrated,the stop 36 is provided with a lateral extension 38 which is engagedbyan adjusting screw 39 mounted in a swinging arm or retainer 40, whichis pivotally mountedupon a stud 41 projecting from a bracket 42 securedto the cross girder 6, the cross girder 6 being provided with a slot 43through which the extension 38 projects. A spring .44 surrounding thestem of the screw 39 and abutting at one end upon the retainer 40 and atthe other end against the head 45of the screw serves to prevent thescrew from rotation and thereby to hold it in position of adjustment towhich it is set by the operator. 8

The bracket 42 desirably is provided with an offset hook shaped support46 for the retainer 40 which will hold it normally in operative positionbut will permit the retainer to be swung out of the path of theextension 38 of the stop 36, thus enabling the pressure which normallyis exerted upon the downward extension 25 of the supplemental section ofthe brake lever, to be removed when it is desirable to rotatethe warpbeam 3, manually, or to release the brake sufiiciently to enable theinterlocking sections thereof to be disengaged for the purpose ofremoving the warp beam.

In the operation of the device the parts are assembled as illustrated inFig. 1, with the adjusting screw 39 so positioned as to cause the stop36 to impose the desired tension upon the brake through the brake lever.As the lay is oscillated to beat up the filling, the sword upon eachforward movement of the lay engages the lug 35 on the arm 32 just beforethe reed engages thefilling which is to be beaten in the fell of thecloth, thereby drawing the link 29 and operating the brake lever toexert a suficient tension upon the brake to lock the warp beam againstrotation.

WVhen the lay moves rearwardly the lock ing pressure upon the brake drumis soon released and the arm 25 of the brake lever engaged with the stop36, thus restoring the normal light tension upon the warp. When it isdesired to rotate the warp beam freely or to remove the warp beam, theretainer tO is swung upwardly out of the path of the extension 38 of thestop so that the pressure of the latter against the brake lever isentirely removed, thereby removing all tension of the brake upon'thedrum and enabling the ends of the section of the brake to'be be removedand replaced.

. It will be understood that the embodiment of the invention disclosedherein is illustrative and not restrictive, and that variousmodifications in construction and arrang ment of parts may be madewithin the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new and desire toobtain by Letters Patent is: i

l. Warp tension controlling mechanism for looms, having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum and a brake band anchored at one endengaging said drum, comprising a lever connected to the other end ofsaid brake band, an adjustable stop engaging said lever adapted tomaintain a constant normal tension upon said brake band and meansoperating upon said lever when the lay reaches a predetermined positionin its beat-up to cause said brake band to lock the warp beam againstrotation.

2. Warp tension controlling mechanism for looms having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake band anchored at oneend engaging said drum, a brake lever connected to the other end of saidbrake band, having a main section fulcrumed upon a pivot on the loomside and a supplemental section also fulcrumed upon said pivot, yieldingmeans connecting said lever sections and means operating upon said leverwhen the lay reaches a predetermined position in its beat-up to causesaid brake band to lock the warp beam against rotation.

a 3. arp tension controlling mechanism for looms having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake band anchored at oneend engaging said drum, a brake lever connected to the other end of saidbrake band, having a main section fulcrumed upon a pivot on the loomside and a supplemental section also fulcrumed upon readilv detached sothat the warp beam can said pivot, yielding means connecting said bandto lock the warp beam against rotaband anchored at one end engaging saiddrum, a brake lever connected to the other end of said brake band,having a main section fulcrumed upon a pivot on the loom side and asupplemental section also fulcrumed upon said pivot, yielding meansconnecting said lever sections and means operating upon said lever whenthe lay reaches a predetermined position in its beat-up to cause saidbrake band to lock the warp beam against rotation, a stop pivotallymounted on the loom frame engagin said lever, a bracket pivotallymounted on the loom frame having an adjusting screw engaging said stop,said bracket being so mounted as to be removable from the path of saidstop to enable the stop to be released from engagement with said lever.

5. Tarp tension controlling mechanism for looms, having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake band anchored at oneend engaging said drum, a lever connected to the other end of said brakeband, an adjustable stop engaging said lever operating to impose apredetermined tension upon said brake band, and means connected to saidlever operable by the movement of the lay, when the lay reaches apredetermined position in its beatup to cause said brake band to lockthe warp beam against rotation.

6. arp tension controlling mechanism for looms, having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake band anchored at oneend engaging said drum, a lever connected to the other end of said brakeband, an adjustable stop engaging said lever operating to impose apredetermined tension upon said brake band, an adjustable link connectedto one end of said lever and at its other end to an arm carried by thelay supporting shaft and means on said arm adapted tobe engaged by thesword when the reed of the lay is in close proximity to the fell of thecloth.

7. Warp tension controlling mechanism for looms having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake band anchored at oneend and engaging said drum, a lever connected to the other end of saidbrake band, an adjustable stop engaging said lever operating to impose apredetermined tension upon said brake band, a link connected at one endto said lever, an arm pivotallyconnected to the other end of said linkhaving means adapted to be engaged by the sword upon the beat-up of thelay, said arm being pivotally connected to the rocking shaft upon whichthe lay is supported, whereby the lower end of said arm is movable withthe sword and the arm also movable relatively to the movement of thesword.

8. arp tension controllingmechanism for looms having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake anchored at one endhaving separable interlocking hooked sections engaging said drum,actuating means connected to the other end of said brake, means forreleasing said actuating means to permit detachment of said interlockingsections whereby the warp beammay be readily removed.

9. arp tension controlling mechanism for looms having a warp beamprovided with a friction drum comprising a brake anchored at one end andformed of detachable interlocking sections engaging said drum, a leverconnected to the other end of said brake, .means for actuating saidlever to lock said warp beam against rotation when the lay reaches apredetermined position in its beat-up and adjustable means engaging saidlever, for adjusting the normal tension upon said brake, adapted to bereleased from said engagement to permit detachment of said interlockingsections, whereby the warp beam may be readily removed and replaced.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HENRY N. YOUNGQUIST.

